Georgina Mitchell

Education minister Simon Birmingham has been confronted by student protesters on live television, after the government controversially proposed in the federal budget to cut funding to universities while raising student fees.

Mr Birmingham appeared alongside Greens senator Larissa Waters, shadow treasurer Chris Bowen and representatives from the university and business world in a special episode of the ABC's Q&A on Monday night.

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"So why is it now, 20 years on, that your view has complete changed?" the questioner asked, to applause. "Can you please justify to me why you think that the proposed changes to increase fees and lower the HECS repayment threshold is fair for university students across this country?"

Mr Birmingham said a lot has changed over the last 20 to 30 years, and began to say there had been enormous growth in the number of students going to university when a woman began shouting from the crowd.

"You're making students pay," the woman said, as Ms Waters nodded in agreement. The program did not show the protester in the audience but her shouting was audible.

The woman continued shouting until she was grabbed by security guards and removed from the audience.

Another audience member then began to shout: "How can you justify the cuts to the tax repayment thresholds?" before he too was removed.

Host Tony Jones tried in vain to bring order as the audience applauded the interjections.

"I think you can see it's a university town, there's a good deal of passion here in the audience," Jones said.

Mr Birmingham, who had agreed to answer the first woman's interjection, said students have been protesting for generations.